Chapter 5 #3
"The Exiled didn’t do it. I fucking knew it!
" My voice rose, sharp and brittle. "All these years, he told me nobody knew who killed them. That I was lucky he found me." A laugh tore from my throat, hysterical and raw. "Lucky. I was fucking lucky! And then, when he felt me slipping from carrying out his plans, he tried to manipulate me. If I’d have killed The Exiled, I never would’ve known because I never would’ve thought—”
Jasper's hands found my shoulders, steadying me as I sucked down panicked breaths. "I'm sorry," he whispers, and I could see the guilt in his eyes. "I should have realized sooner. I should have stopped him."
"No." I shook my head, vision blurring with unshed tears I refused to let fall. "No, this isn't on you."
I spent years of training under his watchful eye. Years of seeking his approval, his praise. Years of trusting the man who murdered my family.
"He groomed me," I hissed through clenched teeth. "Turned me into his perfect little weapon. And I let him. I fucking let him."
"You were a child," Jasper argued, but I was beyond reason now.
"A child who grew up." I slammed my fist against the mattress, suddenly wishing we weren’t still locked together so I could go beat the shit out of something. "A child who became exactly what he wanted. Who did his bidding. Who would have died for him."
The realization hit me like a physical blow, driving the air from my lungs. How many others had there been? How many families were destroyed so that Asrael could collect gifted children like trophies?
Oh no… Hunter.
My best friend, who had lost his family in a cabin fire. Motherfucker.
"I'm going to kill him." The vow emerged with a clarity that cut through my rage. Not a question, not a threat, it was a promise, cold and absolute. "I'm going to watch the light leave his eyes while he knows exactly why he's dying."
Jasper didn't try to talk me out of it. He simply nodded, having his own reasons for wanting revenge. "We'll do it together."
I turned to face him. "I need to know everything, Jasper. Every dark corner, every secret. No more surprises."
His eyes met mine, centuries of knowledge and pain reflected in their depths. "Then I’ll show you."
I nodded, my mind already racing with possibilities. "We'll need help," I said. "The others, all of the victims, they deserve to know the truth."
As we lay there, still connected, I felt a shift in the air around us, and in a blink, we were back to corporeal form.
I gasped sharply, feeling Jasper pulse deep inside of me as the sensation of overwhelming fullness took over.
My eyes darted down to where we were joined, panic taking a firm hold again.
Jasper's hand cupped my cheek and whispered, "Shhh, darling." My eyes snapped to his wildly. "You're okay. It's almost complete, okay?"
His voice was deep and soothing. I found my muscles relaxing at his assurance. The uncomfortable sensations began to morph into feelings of satisfaction and contentment. I felt like purring, I was so pleased.
"Jasper, what's happening to us? This isn't... normal, is it?"
His eyes softened as he stroked my cheek. "No, it's not normal. It's extraordinary." He took a deep breath before continuing, "What we're experiencing is called knotting. It's something that only happens between a male demon and his mate."
I blinked, trying to process his words. "Mate? I don't understand."
Jasper's voice was gentle as he explained, "It forms an unbreakable bond between a couple. My body wouldn't have been able to do this if it wasn't fate, if you weren't meant to be mine."
As I considered his words, that memory flashed through my mind again—that first night in the basement at Haunt. Talon had been behind me, and I'd felt that same overwhelming fullness. The others had torn him away before anything could happen. Now, it all made sense.
"Jasper," I whispered, my eyes wide with realization, "with Talon... I felt something similar. But the others stopped it."
A slow grin spread across Jasper's face, his eyes twinkling with mischief and something deeper. Hope, perhaps? "I believe we've uncovered a fascinating truth. Not only are you my mate, but it's very likely you're meant for all of us."
My breath caught in my throat as the implications of his words sank in. "All of you? But how is that possible?"
Jasper chuckled softly, the sound sending pleasant vibrations through our joined bodies. "In our world, my love, many things that might seem impossible are possible. Some demons are destined to share a mate, especially those with strong bonds like my brothers and me."
I felt a mix of emotions—shock, disbelief, and underneath it all, a strange sense of rightness, as if puzzle pieces were finally falling into place.
"So, you're saying that I'm not just your mate, but potentially Talon's, Felix's, Misha's, and Ashland's as well?" The words felt surreal as they left my lips.
Jasper nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. "It would explain the intensity of the connections you've been forming with all of us. The way we're all drawn to you, protective of you."
"Well, there's no way Rhodes and I are fated mates. He despises me. He wants to kill me." I took a deep breath as Jasper shifted his hips, and his cock moved slightly within me.
He grinned at my statement, and I scowled back at him.
"He does not despise you. The stubborn ass has spent so many years blaming himself for my death, trying to bury his grief by building stone walls around my memory.
That night you mentioned my name… You caught him completely off guard.
He'd suppressed every thought of me for so long that I imagine that simply hearing my name felt like a slap in the face.
" Jasper paused, considering. "Which he definitely deserves when I see him again, by the way… but no, he doesn't despise you."
I realized that he was probably right. I'd seen their relationship and how it ended. So much more was now making sense regarding The Exiled and why they acted the way they did.
I hummed contentedly as Jasper's lips found mine, his kiss gentle and reassuring. His tenderness contrasted the intensity we'd just shared, and I melted into it, letting his touch soothe my racing thoughts.
I gasped as I felt Jasper's knot begin to recede, the pressure inside me gradually easing. A warmth spread through my core as his release flooded me, marking me as his in the most primal way possible. When his cock finally slipped free, we both let out satisfied sighs.
"Holy shit," I breathed, my body still tingling from the intensity of what we'd just experienced. "Is it always going to be like that?"
Jasper's laugh was low and rich as he pulled me closer, nuzzling into my neck. "Every time will be unique, but the connection will always be there. The bond we've created... It's permanent."
I should have been terrified by that word—permanent. My whole life had been built around avoiding attachments, staying detached, and keeping myself safe. But as I lay there in Jasper's arms, I felt nothing but peace.
"I can feel you thinking," he murmured against my skin. "Care to share?"
"I'm just... processing," I admitted, trailing my fingers along his arm.
"A few hours ago, I thought I was losing my mind.
Now I'm mated to a ghost-demon who apparently shares me with his brothers and friends.
Oh, and I just discovered that my mentor is actually a murderous, demon psychopath.
" I paused, letting out a slightly hysterical laugh. "Just a typical Tuesday, really."
Jasper's arms tightened around me protectively. "I know it's a lot to take in. But you're not alone anymore, Palmer. You never will be again."
His words sparked something in me. Memories of all those lonely nights at Montague Industries, training under Asrael's watchful eye. How many times had he remembered exactly what he'd done to Jasper while teaching me to be the perfect soldier?
"We're going to make him pay," I whispered fiercely, turning in Jasper's arms to face him. "For everything he did to you, to Rhodes, to all of us."
Jasper's eyes glowed with an ethereal light as he cupped my face. "Yes, we will. But first, we need to tell the others. They deserve to know the truth."
I nodded, already dreading that conversation. "Rhodes isn't going to take this well."
"No," Jasper agreed, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.
"But he needs to know. They all do. Don't worry about Rhodes," he murmured against my mouth.
"I'll set him straight when I see him. And if something like knotting started with Talon.
.." He trailed off, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
"My brothers are just in denial. Deep down, they have to know you're meant to be ours. "
The way he said 'ours' sent a shiver down my spine. It should have scared me, the idea of being bound to multiple demons. Instead, it felt right in a way I couldn't explain.
"But what if—" I started to say, but Jasper's body suddenly went rigid. His hand flew to my mouth, silencing me mid-sentence. His eyes, which had been soft with affection moments ago, now blazed with alertness.
I froze, my heart thundering in my chest as I strained my ears to hear what had caught his attention. Snake suddenly set off an alarm through our shared link. Something was wrong.
His eyes met mine, and he slowly removed his hand from my mouth, pressing a finger to his own lips in a silent command to stay quiet. The playful lover from moments ago had vanished, replaced by a warrior's intensity that reminded me that, beneath his gentle demeanor, Jasper was still a demon.
The silence in the room felt oppressive, broken only by the sound of my shallow breathing. Jasper's gaze was fixed on something beyond my shoulder, toward the window. I wanted desperately to turn and look, but his subtle head shake kept me still.
A shadow passed across the wall—something that shouldn't have been possible, given we were several stories up.
My fingers dug into Jasper's shoulders as fear crept up my spine.
Whatever was out there, it wasn't human, and given everything we'd just discovered about Asrael, I had a sinking feeling our moment of peace was about to be shattered.
"We need to move," Jasper said, already pulling on his shirt. "Something isn't right."
I was still trying to wrap my head around everything that had just happened between us when the first alarm blared through the club. The sound pierced through my post-orgasmic haze like a bucket of ice water.
"Fuck." I scrambled off the bed, searching for my clothes. "How did he find us so fast?"
The mate bond pulsed between us, fresh and raw, making it hard to focus on anything else.
But the steady wail of the security system demanded attention.
The sound of scurrying little feet overhead was the only warning I got before Snake launched himself out of the vent in the ceiling, landing right on the bed.
He was chittering up a storm as his tail actually pulsed with agitation.
“Thanks, Snake. We’re going to go check it out now.
Stay close but out of sight, got it?” I pinned the little creature with a stern look, waiting for the responding chitters of disagreement; he loved to argue.
So I allowed it and continued dressing while Snake squirrel-cussed at me.
Ultimately, he’d follow orders like the dutiful little nut prince he was.
Jasper was suddenly there, helping me with my boots. "It's not just Scorpio's men out there." His voice was tight with concern. "I can sense... something's different."
"Different, how?"
Before he could answer, the alarms cut out. The silence that followed was somehow worse than the noise. My skin prickled with a warning.
"Palmer." Jasper's eyes met mine, glowing that ethereal green. "I need you to be prepared for what we might see out there." At my nod, he continued, "Scorpio's abilities far exceed mine."
"Great pep talk," I muttered, but my heart was racing.
Jasper grabbed my hand. "Ready?"
I squeezed his fingers, drawing strength from our connection. "Ready."
We moved to the door, and I couldn't help but think that whatever was waiting for us out there, at least we were facing it together. The mate bond thrummed between us, a reminder that everything had changed in the span of a few hours.
But nothing could have prepared me for what we found when we got down to the club level.